Computer+Savvy

=BOARD GAME DESIGN =  =Computer Savvy =  Robert Sevilla rrksevilla@gmail.com



Instructional Objective
 This game will help reinforce and teach the elements of Internet safety, netiquette, ethics, and maintaining computer integrity. In conversations with students, teachers, and parents, I notice the growing concerns revolving around computer usage. Students utilizing the Internet are finding social networks to be a popular and convenient place to post their personal information in a potentially risky environment. On our school district online communication tool, School Loop, I hear the ever increasing complaints against students not demonstrating the proper etiquette for email communications. In addition, cyberbullying is becoming more frequent. Finally, there is the issue of computer systems being compromised by downloading viruses, spyware, or other harmful software. In designing this game, I hope to address some of these concerns.

Learners & Context of Use
 The game is designed for middle school i.e. grades 6th thru 8th with various levels of computer literacy and experience. A large portion of these students have computer and Internet access at home. The game hopes to take advantage of students' current and growing interest in computers. The game can be played with 2 to 4 players. The game would primarily be used in the classroom with students moving their desks into groups of up to four. Computer Savvy is intended to be played more than once. The game could be used as a self-assessment tool for students' level of knowledge followed with lessons and activities in Internet safety, netiquette, and maintaining computer integrity. This would be followed with another session of for students to compare their previous level and current level of knowledge.

Competing Products
 NetSmartz Race to the Finish, a free downloadable game developed by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. 

**Object of the Game **
 The objective of the game is to have the most puzzle pieces at the end of the allotted time or to have all ten pieces which in that instance makes that player an instant winner. This game is designed to be played within the time structures of a classroom period.

Content Analysis
Board Game Content Analysis <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif;">

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif;">Game Materials
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif;"> List each of the physical objects one would find in the box. For example, the board, each type of card, each type of prize or token, etc.) After listing the materials, describe each in as much detail as needed. Include illustrations of the board and each type of card.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif;">Game Board: 44 spaces in five colors i.e. blue, yellow, green, gray, and white. Three color rectangular boxes in the center of the board show location of game cards. In addition, there are "Glitch" spaces which causes the player to lose one turn. "Safe" spaces allow a player to earn a puzzle piece and "threat" spaces penalizes the player by confiscating one of their puzzle pieces.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif;">Die: One ordinary six-sided die numbered 1 thru 6.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif;">Game Pieces: Rectangular keys from a computer keyboard.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif;">Game Cards: 3 sets of 12 color cards for a total of 36 game cards. Each color set corresponds to the "Ethics", "Netiquette", and "Safety" game cards. Each set of cards includes multiple-choice responses and discussion which helps provide a platform for sharing their ideas.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif;">Puzzle Pieces: A set of ten triangle puzzle pieces for each player used for scoring purposes.

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif;">Time Required
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Game set up would take approximately two minutes. Play length is flexible as it could be decided by the instructor how long the game will last. Usually the game play time will be determined by the length of each class session.

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Rules

 * 1) <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif;">Length of play is determined before game play begins.
 * 2) <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif;">Players roll die to determine who will begin the game.
 * 3) <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif;">Players begin with the large triangle puzzle piece marked "Computer Savvy".
 * 4) <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif;">First player rolls die and advances their token the number of places rolled.
 * 5) <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif;">If player lands on a colored space, another player will pick up the corresponding color game card and read it out loud.
 * 6) <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif;">If player answers correctly, they will earn a corresponding color puzzle piece. If not answered correctly, no puzzle piece is earned.
 * 7) <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif;">Puzzle pieces are also earned for "discussion" game cards as long as the player creates a dialog.
 * 8) <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif;">If player lands on a color space they do not need, they may "pass" and the card is left alone.
 * 9) <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif;">Landing on the "glitch" space makes the player lose a turn.
 * 10) <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif;">Landing on the "safe" space earns the player a puzzle piece.
 * 11) <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif;">Landing on the "threat" space makes the player lose a puzzle piece.
 * 12) <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif;">If the player has no puzzle pieces upon landing on the "threat" space, he/she will sit out the game for two turns.
 * 13) <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif;">Winner is determined by the player with the most puzzle pieces at the end of the predetermined time or when one player has all ten puzzle pieces.

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif;">Motivational Issues
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif;">According to the ARCS Model theory developed by Keller, there are four components that help to explain individual motivation. The first element in student motivation to learn is attention. In addition to gaining attention, sustaining it is even more important. The first element is inherent in this game since it pertains to students' use of computers. In sustaining student interest I am not sure how long that would last since after two or more sessions of play, the game cards would simply be revisited and game play would become redundant. I could include cards that introduced student inquiry by having them research on the Internet. The second factor in the ARCS Model has to do with relevance. The content of this game relates to a majority of students in that it relates to their current interests and past experiences. The third category relates to confidence. Again, the majority of students (who have had experience with computers and Internet access), will feel confident that they know the answers to the questions on the cards and thus feel competent. Features in the game content helps promote feelings of personal control over outcomes. Even though certain spaces on the game board will cause the player to lose a turn and to lose a puzzle piece, answering the game cards correctly will have a greater bearing over their success than infrequently landing on the "glitch" and "threat" spaces. The fourth element in the ARCS Model is satisfaction. Students obtain immediate feedback when choosing the correct answers as well as the incorrect responses. Getting the correct answer to a question reinforces their satisfaction and they will continue to try and answer correctly.

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif;">Design Process
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I wanted to design a game to address issues with students' computer online use. I began by looking at several games that I thought were aesthetically pleasing. I had enjoyed playing Monopoly as a child and therefore wanted something that was similar in design. However, the design of Monopoly did not lend itself to the content I wanted to convey. I did take a look at some resources (listed at the bottom, under "References") to get started. I felt I was making the game more complicated than it had to be. In frustration, I searched for a game that had anything to do with computers and I finally found something. It was created by NetSmartz called, "Race to the Finish" and it had the same content I wanted to convey in my game design except it was geared toward elementary school. It was also much more simpler in design than I had initially intended. I "borrowed" some elements from the game i.e. spaces on the board were color coded similarly to the game cards. In my attempt to design a board game, I discovered that less is more which also happens to be the same concept for building web pages. After discussing my board game idea with Bernie, I decided to replace tokens with the ten puzzle pieces as a scoring device. The center puzzle piece is a metaphor for a youngster in the middle of the arrangement with the remaining nine puzzle pieces safeguarding the young person. In testing its playability, my wife and I played a couple of rounds. The number of cards would be appropriate for the amount of playing time i.e. two play sessions within the structure of two class periods. I was wondering how sustainable student interest would be after more than two play sessions as the cards would be repeated and ultimately would become a boring exercise in redundancy. The discussion cards were a fun departure from the multiple-choice cards as it lead to some lively discussion. <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif;">

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif;">References

 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif;">Electronic*
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif;">Board Games With Scott @ <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://www.boardgameswithscott.com/
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif;">Print Games @ <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://www.printgames.net/
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif;">NetSmartz' Race to the Finish @ <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif;">[|http://www.netsmartz.org/pdf/Clicky_Race_to_the_Finish.] [|pdf]